The Best Soda Maker

If you drink a lot of seltzer and are tired of wasting plastic bottle after plastic bottle from the grocery store, you should get the Sodastream Jet. It’s simple to use, easy to clean, and made the second-best-tasting soda water.

Last Updated: August 26, 2014

We’re replacing our previous pick, the Mastrad Purefizz, with the Sodastream Jet, which makes excellent soda — just not quite as good as the Purefizz. The Purefizz performed better in our tests, but unfortunately Mastrad's customer service is lacking and has failed to live up the promises they have made to us and their customers. While we hope to resolve this in the future, for now, the Sodastream is our top pick.

August 13, 2014:
Some of our readers have complained about the Purefizz developing rust, and this is something that one of our editors has also noticed. We aren’t entirely sure why it's happening, but we’re working with Mastrad to determine a cause. There are several possible reasons — not letting the Purefizz dry thoroughly, water hardness causing rust and corrosion to form, etc. As far as we know, the incidence has been low, with only a few readers complaining and one editor noticing the problem; Mastrad claims they could not replicate the problem in their own tests. With that in mind, we still recommend the Purefizz. If you notice rust, please contact Tim Orfutt at toffutt@mastrad.us. They have offered to replace all affected units. We’ve also had some reader complaints about Mastrad’s customer service. We aren’t pleased, either, but after we brought this issue to their attention they outlined a plan to revamp their customer service department. But if you have any problems, please contact us.

April 22, 2014:
The Mastrad Purefizz is available again, so we've moved it back to our top recommendation with the Sodastream Jet as an alternative pick.

April 10, 2014:
Added the Mastrad Purefizz as a secondary recommendation. It's one of our favorite soda makers, but it's not in stock on Amazon very often.

April 9, 2014:
Since our previous pick, the Mastrad Purefizz, has been taken off the market, we are recommending the Sodastream Jet in its place (even though it's not quite as good).

March 24, 2014:
The Purefizz is currently unavailable on Amazon and Mastrad's own site. After speaking with Mastrad customer service, it's not clear when it will be back in stock. We don't like any of the alternative soda makers, so our suggestion is to sit tight until it's available again.

Unfortunately, we have to revoke our former top pick, the Mastrad Purefizz. Some users reported rusting in their units, and despite promises from Mastrad to evaluate the problem, forward motion was slow. This also brought up another major deal-breaker: Mastrad’s customer service is severely lacking. Despite multiple promises of improvement, we saw none. What’s the point of having an excellent soda maker if it’s impossible to get fixed if there’s an issue, or to get in touch with someone at the company if you have a shipment problem?

We spent more than 30 hours researching dozens of home soda makers, testing six models hands-on and even building our own machine (we’ll show you how later) to ultimately decide the Sodastream Jet is the best option for now. We don’t like how Sodastream locks you into their proprietary CO2 refills, which require taking a trek to Target or Bed Bath and Beyond (or a variety of other retailers—the full list is on their website). And they just can’t replicate the full-on fizziness of bottled soda. But if you’re in the market for a home soda maker, the Jet makes the bubbliest soda we’ve found.

Table of contents

How we picked

The Purefizz, Isi, and Sodastream (left to right).

Despite their resurgence in popularity (thanks to Sodastream), there’s just not much good information about home carbonation solutions. What little that does exist tends to be in the form of reviews for various Sodastream machines, but they seemed to have cornered the market. Up-to-date comparative reviews have been pretty hard to find, which is why we knew we had to do our own testing. In order to figure out what was worth looking at, we first turned to the many out-of-date reviews done by various publications. Cook’s Illustrated’s round-up ranked the iSi Twist ‘n’ Sparkle at the top (which was later recalled), along with Sodastream’s very expensive Penguin model. (They updated their recommendation in September 2014 to the SodaStream Source Starter Kit.) The Wall Street Journal did a taste-test with the sommelier at Le Bernardin, but we found their picks to be either unavailable, very expensive, or poorly reviewed elsewhere. Consumer Reports’ 2006 review is too outdated to be useful, and most of the products are no longer available or very difficult to acquire.

We eliminated all of the soda makers that were hard to find—many were no longer sold in the US or have disappeared from production entirely. Unfortunately, Sodastream is the only company making proper soda machines. Cuisinart’s entry into the field, the SMS-201, has remarkably terrible reviews, and it appears the well-reviewed Primo Flavorstation is in the middle of being discontinued (probably due to their acquisition by Cuisinart last year). For soda siphons, we eliminated brands like Mosa and Whip-It! due to poor reviews and mediocre availability. Plus, the Mosa appears to be an almost direct knock-off of the iSi siphon, just with less-enthusiastic user reviews.

Our pick

The Sodastream Jet isn’t the best soda machine out there—that honor goes to the perma-out-of-stock Mastrad Purefizz—but if you’re looking for an at-home solution to your seltzer addiction and aren’t willing or able to go the DIY route (more info below), the Jet is the best option. It’s simple to use, makes decent-tasting seltzer water, has a CO2 tank that lasts for about 40-60 liters, and is one of the most eco-friendly options.

Because the Jet is a soda machine, not a siphon, it’s by far the easiest to use: There’s no need to use a soda charger, just fill up the provided bottle, screw into the machine, and pump once, twice, or three times, depending on the level of carbonation you prefer (although all but the most subtle of seltzer-lovers will find anything besides three pumps to be “barely carbonated”). Unscrew, and ta-da—seltzer. It does require some prep, though, most notably making sure your water is very, very cold. If you can remember to refill your Sodastream bottle and keep it in the fridge between uses, you’ll have much more success with the machine. In our blind taste test, the Jet scored third, behind the Purefizz and the store-bought control. It’s neutral-tasting, and not as fizzy as the store-bought version, but it still tastes effervescent and bubbly. Bubbles were definitely bigger than those produced by the iSi, the SodaSparkle and the Best Whip, and the overall taste was better. As mentioned above, chilling your water will drastically improve taste.

The Jet comes with a 60-liter CO2 tank, which we found filled about 40 liters consistently, although this will depend on how carbonated you prefer your seltzer. It offers the ability to use both 60 L and 130 L CO2 cartridges, which means if you like, you can spend less time going to and from the store for a refill, especially if you’re a frequent seltzer drinker. It’s nice to not think about your CO2, unlike with soda siphons, which require a new 8-gram cartridges every time you charge them.

Unfortunately, you have to take them back to big box stores like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond (more options on their website) to refill, meaning once you’re out, you’re stuck with their proprietary CO2 refills, which cost $15. That’s costly, and can add up over time. It is, however, the most eco-friendly option, considering everything is reused again and again—assuming you haven’t wandered across a particularly unscrupulous retailer, the CO2 tanks will be refilled and reused. Theoretically, nothing goes into the recycling bin, and definitely not into the trash. Even siphons have to recycle the steel CO2 canisters. This is one of the biggest plusses for the Sodastream, and, in the absence of the Purefizz, more than justifies the pick. The Sodastream didn’t wow us in our first testing, but with our initial pick out of the running, it’s the best option we’ve found. No, it’s not as tasty as the Purefizz, and we’re really not impressed with the expensive, proprietary CO2, but if you want a seltzer maker, it still does an admirable job.

Also great

The Mastrad PureFizz is simple to use, easy to clean, and makes the best-tasting fizzy water of anything we tested. Unfortunately it's almost never available to buy.

If you’re willing to take a risk, we still like the Mastrad Purefizz for its pure performance. The best soda maker was the Mastrad Purefizz soda siphon. At $80, it outperformed the far more expensive Sodastream Source, easily making the most consistently delicious seltzer of all the machines we tested. Plus, it’s easy to clean and dishwasher friendly. And unlike other ones we tested, the warranty doesn’t limit you to water or pre-approved mixes.

Unfortunately, Mastrad’s customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Our readers have complained about unresponsiveness, poor communication, and significantly delayed shipping times, even for rusting-related concerns. We just don’t feel comfortable recommending it as our main pick for these reasons, although we do still feel it is an excellent soda maker. You can use the Purefizz to carbonate anything. Things I carbonated: orange juice. Wine. (And together, in the mimosa recipe that comes with the siphon!) Gin. Drinks with chunks of fruit in them. 90% of the time, it worked just like I was using water; every once in a while, it was a little extra fizzy, but there was nothing opening it over a sink wouldn’t fix. Yes, you’ll find hacks online to use the Sodastream and other machines to carbonate all sorts of liquids, but in a lot of cases, it will void your warranty.

The Purefizz encourages you to use it to carbonate whatever you can think of and will do it exceptionally well. The Purefizz consistently produced sharper, tinglier, and brighter seltzer that was the overwhelming favorite amongst taste testers (besides the store-bought control). One person said the taste was “consistent—almost like factory-produced seltzer,” and another said it was “so good” and “kept its effervescence, even in your throat,” unlike some others, which seemed to go flat seconds after they touched your tongue.

We aren’t the only ones who like it: The Kitchn praised its versatility, and Donna Currie at Serious Eats said it was “a portable, self-contained device that doesn’t take a whole lot of space. And I got a good amount of carbonation in everything I’ve tried so far.” Julie Lasky at the New York Times found it didn’t produce enough carbonation, which we disagree with—this could possibly be the result of not using chilled water. As with all carbonation systems, it works best with very cold water. Chef Mary Moran said “The water was incredibly fizzy, delicious tasting and very easy to make” at the Washington Times.

Some of our readers have complained about the Purefizz developing rust, and this is something that one of our editors (me) has also noticed. We aren’t entirely sure why it’s happening, but we’re working with Mastrad to determine a cause. Unfortunately, we don’t expect this to be resolved soon, but we are reassured that the problem is uncommon.

A DIY option

The DIY option is on the left.

We spoke with Jeremy Faludi, a sustainable design strategist and researcher who has taught green design at Stanford, about the environmental impact of the steel cartridges used in soda siphons versus disposable aluminum cans and plastic bottles. He concluded that the steel cartridges are marginally less environmentally destructive because they’re easier to recycle.1 That might be good enough for most people, but not if you’re serious about reducing your carbon footprint. Enter the build-it-yourself option, which is refillable and fully repairable.

Using instructions from our project manager, John Mahoney, I built my own soda machine using parts bought on Amazon and a CO2 canister rented from a welding shop. This method certainly requires a lot of tweaking: We had trouble getting usable soda from the machine, and it took a lot of fiddling with the psi level to get anything resembling the quality of the Purefizz (and even then, the quality was still drastically inferior; it barely fizzed and went flat quickly).

But your results can, and will, vary, if you’re willing to take the time to tinker. And if you’re really, really serious about reducing your environmental impact without sacrificing your seltzer habit, it’s really the only option. A five- or even 10-pound CO2 tank will last you forever. You’ll find lots of different sets of instructions on the web—here and here are two more. It’s more upkeep and work, but it can be a fun experiment and will go a long way towards reducing your eco-impact.

The competition

We tested the BestWhip Soda Plus hoping it would be a suitable replacement for the Purefizz. It’s also made of aluminum and uses the exact same cap and CO2 charge. Unfortunately, it’s also a lot larger—which means the soda isn’t nearly as strong and delicious as the Purefizz, or the Sodastream.

I initially had high hopes for the SodaSparkle, which looked like it might be a suitable replacement for the recalled iSi Twist ‘n’ Sparkle. However, it didn’t work with generic 8 gram CO2 cartridges and ultimately produced a weak fizz. It looks like the company is distributed and branded stateside by Cuisinart, but we couldn’t find any evidence or support on the website. Ultimately, the Sodastream beats it on taste alone.

The iSi Soda Siphon is ultimately better suited for bar use. Instead of untwisting the lid to pour out your soda, it uses a nozzle to spray it out—often wildly, all over the kitchen. The soda itself is flat, not fizzy—some reviewers say you can use two chargers to get more carbonation, but that’s more wasteful and requires extra effort that the Sodastream doesn’t.

The Mosa Soda Siphon got decent marks from Wall Street Journal, but reviewers say the soda tends to be flat—just like the iSi, which looks to be based on a similar design.

There are a lot of bad user reviews for the Liss siphon, many complaining of leakage. It also has the same, finicky nozzle spray structure as the Mosa and the iSi, which means you should pass.

What makes a good soda maker anyway?

So those are our picks for the best home carbonators, but if you want to shop around, it helps to know what to look for.

There are two good ways to make soda at home: A soda machine (like the Sodastream) where the entire process is automated by pushing a button, or a siphon, which requires a small CO2 canister. At their cores, both work the same way—using pressure to add carbon dioxide to water, creating the little fizzy bubbles that make soda water taste so delicious.

Even though our current pick is a soda machine, ideally, you want a siphon. Soda machines are tempting, because they’re dead simple to use and don’t require using a new cartridge every liter, but the soda they make isn’t as tasty and they’ll trap you into proprietary CO2 cartridges that need to be refilled in-store. Plus, high-quality soda machines can easily run up to and above $150; there’s no need to spend more than $80 on a siphon.

A good siphon needs a few things. First, it needs to be easily cleaned, especially if you’re using it to carbonate fruit juices or alcohol, which can be sticky. That means it should break down into parts: A dishwasher-safe canister and two caps, one that fits the charger for carbonation and one for storage.

It needs to hold enough water for a few drinks without holding so much water that two CO2 cartridges are necessary. We tested machines that held between 0.75 and 1.2 liters, and we found that the smaller siphons were better able to straddle the line between high carbonation and sufficient capacity.

It should also be simple to use. To get the CO2 from the cartridge into the water, the bottom of the cartridge must be pierced by a tiny spike. The best siphons require placing the cartridge into a plastic holder, which is then screwed into the lid, pierced by the spike, and released into the liquid below. Getting the soda out shouldn’t be complicated, either; some, like the iSi Soda Siphon, use a handle to spray the soda out of the lid in a thin stream, much like a bartender might use. This ostensibly keeps the water carbonated for longer, and it might be great for the bar, perhaps, but the stream is too strong and often ended up spraying all over my kitchen during testing. A carafe you can simply pour water out of is a much simpler, and we noticed no drop in soda quality.

When you’re using high pressure to carbonate anything, whether it be water or alcohol or fruit juice, safety is of the utmost importance. The iSi Twist ‘n Sparkle, one of the most frequently-referenced models in early research, was recalled in 2012 for having a funny tendency to explode. You’ll find models with aluminum, stainless steel, plastic, and, in the expensive Sodastream models, glass carafes. Used properly, all of these should be safe, but steel and aluminum models provide an extra level of security. The cap does need to be attached securely, though, with strong threading and a plastic ring that prevents excess carbonation from forcing the top off and spraying all over your kitchen.

The economics of soda

Getting your own home soda maker might make environmental sense, but when it comes to economic benefits, the benefit over storebought isn’t as strong. But it still comes out ahead—buying 100 one-liter bottles of seltzer from the store is a pretty simple calculation, so you know it costs anywhere between $100 and $200, depending on where you live and what store you’re buying from.

But to make seltzer at home, you’ll have to get your CO2 from somewhere—either small, 8-gram steel canisters, which cost about $97 (with shipping) for 300 (available in smaller-but-more-expensive quantities as well) or a larger Sodastream canister, which costs $15 to refill at most big-box stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples and Target. Sodastream’s canister is supposed to last 60 liters, but I’ve found—and Amazon commenters back me up—that if you like your soda anything more than lightly carbonated, it’s closer to 40 liters.

In addition to the initial investment in the machine itself, Sodastream costs about 37 cents per liter, coming out even with liter bottles from the store after about 125 liters—or about 4 months of use, if you drink one liter a day. The Purefizz takes a little longer to make the money back—about 220 liters or 7 months. But think of the tradeoffs—that’s 220 plastic bottles you aren’t lugging home from the store, storing in your home, or piling up in the bin. Sure, it takes a little longer to even out than the Sodastream, but you aren’t locked into a proprietary CO2 system. And the Purefizz just tastes a lot better.

(Aluminum cans cost about $1.42 per liter, giving the Purefizz an instant economical advantage, coming even after about 130 liters.)

Wrapping it up

If you’re a regular soda drinker who wants something simple, safe and delicious, the Sodastream Jet is the best choice right now. It’s not as delicious as our former top pick, which is currently and indefinitely unavailable, but it creates great soda easily, and is super environmentally friendly.

I was really interested in the DIY option, but out of laziness, I just bought this: http://www.kegconnection.com/soda-carbonating-kits/. It couldn’t have been easier to set up. I can’t imagine the how the Purefizz could make stronger seltzer than what I’m able to make.

Of course, I understand why most people wouldn’t want a big tank in their kitchen and they wouldn’t want to make the trek out to their city’s industrial hinterlands every time they needed a CO2 refill.

Jin

Bob, I have been thinking on and off about the DIY option for a while now, but putting it off because of all the fiddly parts you have to source. That Keg Connection regulator sounds like a great alternative. Two questions: which did you get, TapRite or Chudnow? And, what is involved in setting it up? Did you get a CO2 tank with your kit, or can you just buy one from a welding shop?

bobchadwick

I don’t remember making the choice between the two, but I believe I have the Chudnow. I initially placed an order without the tank, but I canceled that and just ordered everything together. Again, laziness won out and I didn’t feel like searching around for a source for a tank. I would think you could get one from a welding shop, but I don’t have any experience with that.

Setting it up couldn’t be simpler. The regulator comes pre-assembled, with all the hoses already attached. All you do is screw it on to the tank (the tank should come with a plastic o-ring, which you place between the regulator and tank). Dialing in the the pressure is just a matter of adjusting the screw on the front of the regulator until it’s at your desired pressure. I use about 60 PSI, which gives my soda an amazing kick.

I also got the KegConnection kit with the Chudnow regulator (it was cheaper, and I don’t mind using a screwdriver or even a coin to adjust the pressure instead of a knob) and it was surprisingly easy. I got a cylinder separately, got it filled at a local welding-supply house for $19, and just screwed the regulator/KegConnection kit onto the cylinder with a washer and was good to go. Very easy.

Paul Esteves

I also use the DIY route because I already had the equipment because of home brewing beer. I just had to buy the soda bottle to ball lock adapter.

Do not buy a new co2 canister. Most welding supply shops will just swap out the new tank for another one. I would recomend to buy a used tank with a valid hydro test date. This way when you get it “refilled” they will just swap it out and you will never need to pay for a new hydro test.

I’m not sure why they had issues making co2 this way. I think it’s the best option, buying co2 in bulk is much more economical than those tiny metal canisters.

Make sure your water is as cold as possible when carbonating. Co2 absorbs better in the cold. Around 12 psi is a good setting.

Don’t! Paintball canisters and some other Industrial sources of CO2 have massive contamination issues with Benzene, a known and fully acknowledged carcinogen.

Paul Esteves

If that were true I should be getting massive headaches from my homebrew.

Munkoli

That’s like saying “if smoking were truly bad for you, everyone who smokes would have lung cancer already.”

Paul Esteves

You should probably be warning people not to carbonate anything that contains vitamin C.

The paintball shop gets their CO2 from the same place the beverage distributors get them from.

Munkoli

Sounds like good news for you, but in general that’s not the case. So perhaps be careful when you advise people of that option in future.

cyber75sax

As far as the SodaStream goes, you don’t actually have to rig the bottle to be refilled at a paintball store. You buy an adapter (about $60), and then attach it to the top of a regular paintball canister. The bottle costs about $30 initially, and about $4 each time to refill. You can fill it at any sporting goods store that refills paintball canisters.The bottle pays for itself in about a half-dozen fill-ups.

Some complain about a weird taste or the fact that the canister isn’t “food grade,” but the taste, an oily, “machiney” taste disappears after the first fizzy bottle, and food grade, IMHO, is BS. I think the taste is just the by-product of an empty bottle being filled for the first time. This was the best investment to make for the SodaStream, and I haven’t filled a bottle any other way since I bought it last summer.

honkon

I experienced the oily taste and couldn’t get it to go away. I suspect the actual paintball bottles were the culprit—I read somewhere online that you need to buy specially-cleaned ones or do it yourself. As for CO2, the stuff they use to refill paintball tanks is, by regulation, the same they use for Sodastream et al, so people shouldn’t worry about that.

LesE

+1 on this. I used a new, fresh-purchased 12oz CO2 tank, and have had no oily taste issues. Refills are $3. I can’t compare my results with the other units, never tried them, but this approach has worked well for me for six months or so.

Gerund

“often wildly, all over the kitchen”? I’ve owned the iSi for over two years, and I’ve never had an issue with the nozzle spraying anywhere but into my glass.

TKR421

Ditto. I’ve had mine for at least two years, and I’ve never once had that problem. Also, of the dozens and dozens of bottles of seltzer I’ve made, only two or three have come up flat, and I’m nearly certain those were either a defect in the CO2 cartridge or user error. I’m also not sure what off taste the review is talking about, but maybe the reviewer’s palate is more sensitive than mine. Basically what I’m saying is, if you want good homemade seltzer from a smaller, less expensive set up than the SodaStream, the iSi Soda Siphon is the way to go.

honkon

After using a Sodastream for over a year, I took the plunge and went the DIY route (I was using one $15 Sodastream refill every 10 days, which might sound expensive, but I’d use coupons, etc. to try to lower it). Once the DIY components were bought, I paid another $32 to get my 5lb CO2 tank filled (exchanged, really, but same idea), and have been using the same tank since October 2 (77 days!!), and I still have a fair amount of CO2 left in the tank.

The DIY version isn’t as easy (you really need to use cold water and you need to shake the bottle pretty vigorously for it to work), but it’s unbelievable how much cheaper it is in the long run. Initially, I tried to calculate exactly how much DIY would cost compared to the Sodastream, but what I didn’t realize at the time is that the Sodastream is able to carbonate effectively by wasting a lot of CO2, so despite the Sodastream tank being 14.5 ounces (if my memory serves me correctly), my 5 lb. (80 oz.) tank carbonates much more, relatively speaking. That is, I thought the 80 oz. tank would be equivalent to 5.5 Sodastream tanks (80 oz./14.5 oz.), but since it’s more efficient, it lasts longer (at this point it’s equal to about 8 Sodastream refills with plenty of CO2 left).

I’ll add that I tried the adapter for using paintball CO2 tanks, but the cost (for me, where I live) didn’t work out in my favor.

If you drink a lot of soda water and you care about cost, DIY is the best option.

David Hughes

We’ve owned a Sodastream for a few months and still haven’t worked through the first full-size recharge. The ability to carbonate other things directly rather than making my own flavors sounds interesting but for now I’m quite fine with the ‘stream.

Marc45

Same here. I find the SodaStream very useful in the sense that we simply bought several extra plastic bottles, put our names on them and use the 130L large canister. We use it constantly and it lasts us 2-3 months before needing a recharge. There is no recycling needed which you can’t say about the other options. We only use it for bubbly water.

CriticalConsumer

Another strike against the Sodastream is that they are manufactured in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territories. So buying their products means supporting human rights abuses and international law violations. And that really leaves a bad taste!

This is idiotic obsession with the Palestinian Israel conflict has finally breached the world of Seltzer makers. Besides this being a forum for gadgets and not politics, do you really think you are representing the Palestinian people’s interests? Soda Stream employs Palestinians and Israelis, which I would think is a good thing.

In addition, there are horrible, I mean HORRIBLE, human rights violations going on everywhere else in the Middle East. Yet, you think buying a non Soda Stream seltzer maker is making a difference. That’s laughable.

They purposefully built in contested areas so that they could AVOID REGULATIONS. There are human rights abuses that happen because they are overlooked, and then there are companies that set out to make them happen in the name of profit. I don’t need my dollars going to support a company that willfully and knowingly puts greed before people.

And yes, I think it does make a difference, no matter how small. When we talk about these things, and bring them to light, then collectively we do make a difference.

I bet you don’t bother voting, either.

David G.

Hi jadxia
Per the information that I have read, the boycott was about the factory location and not any “manufactured”(pardon the pun) human rights abuses. If not, name the human rights abuses taking place . I would bet that you have clothes or other goods that were manufactured in worse circumstances. For some insight, google the Bangladesh garment industry. I argue that the outcomes for Palestinians are worse because of your actions.

Speaking of betting, I bet you have never thought about what Palestinians want. I bet you know very little about Israel. I hope that you will become more effective at listening rather than accusing.
Best

Jadxia

*facepalm* The two are one and the same, but I will try and break this down for you. By building in contested land, they a) claimed to be a “Made in Israel” product, which is out-and-out BS, and I doubt you could find many Palestinians who would support this fallacy, and b) they can build the factory in a sort of hazy no-man’s land regarding regulations. Where jurisdiction is in dispute, enforcement of law is haphazard. The inference here is that they can then get away with things which otherwise they could not, anything from human rights violations, work code violations, to evasion of taxes, fees, etc.

Yes, I’m am aware of the evils of the garment industry, which is why a good portion of my clothes are second hand. Some are designer fair-trade. I mix and match.

Do I have goods that were manufactured in deplorable circumstances? Of course, none of us live in a bubble. But there are two important distinctions here you are failing to make. One is the importance of the item. You are comparing CLOTHES to a SODA-MAKER. Clothes are, for the most part, a necessary item to protect the body. They serve physical and social function. Unless you are a fashion-hound, you generally don’t own a bunch of superfluous clothing items. No one NEEDS a soda-maker, and I contend that unless you are a soda-junkie, or the only way you drink enough fluid is to make it effervescent and bubbly, than a soda maker is really just a happy luxury item.

The other distinction was one of intentional harm versus harm through neglect. If I buy something without thinking about the impact it causes, and later discover that it has a negative impact, that’s through neglect. If a company dumps waste into the drinking water supply without consideration for what it does, that’s harm through neglect. That doesn’t mean it should be done, but if you (or a company) doesn’t know about it, there was not the intent to do harm. If you know you are poisoning people with toxic waste, that’s willful harm. They knew the land was contested when they built there; they did it anyway. Once you realize that harm is being done through your actions, that’s when you become responsible for them, at least to the extent that you can mitigate them in a reasonable manner.

I’m also confused by your statements “the Palestinians dislike the settlements but it is not about Soda Stream or the factory.” Aren’t they the ones who settled there? It wasn’t settled by Nike or Coca-Cola or smurfs.

And yes, the third quote was from a labor activist, at a “workers hot line” meaning that is a person who people call with complaints about unfair working conditions, yes? People who are possibly afraid to come forward because if they do, they will lose they job that they may need, but they recognize is unfair, where they are poorly treated and are being abused? Such a person, in front of a camera, might very well say they “love” that same job, if only to avoid getting canned immediately.

I posted the third article because, as I said, it matched my sentiments. Yes, some people will lose work. Yes, that is terrible. But I also believe that if we allow occupation to continue, and turn a blind eye, the land grab will continue. So until a better solution presents itself, I consider it the lesser of two evils.

Edward Becerra

The Purefizz appears to be on sale at the provided link – $59 instead of $79.

Ted Cabeen

I’ve had good luck with the Fizz Giz. With the Home Station, you can use standard paintball canisters, and the base unit is portable enough to take on a vacation. The manufacturer also supports carbonating things other than water, which is nice too. URL: http://www.fizzgiz.com/ (Also available through Amazon)

jackbrannen

So if I buy a Purefizz, what else do I have to buy to get it to work? Is it a specific kind of CO2 cartridge, and that’s all? The web site selling the Purefizz also mentions a “CO2 Charger.”

Thank you for this review, as I am looking into getting a siphon! One thing: I noticed that you referenced “8 oz.” soda chargers in the link above, but I believe you mean “8 gram” soda chargers instead. At least, the link to the Leland chargers was for 8 gram chargers, and they seem to be a standard size.

Jamie Wiebe

oh my god yes. total brain freeze on my part. thank you!

Jin

The article text still has two references to 8-oz. chargers (search for “oz.”).

Cory Line

Regarding DIY soda maker: Just want to weigh in on the seemingly blah option of building your own. The main obstacles are indeed fiddling and preparation related. Though now that I’ve got the PSI regulated dialed in, I haven’t touched it in months. First, use water as cold as possible to carbonate while agitating the bottle to increase the CO2 flow and saturation. Most important though is to wait about 12-15 minutes after carbonating before opening. This may seem like a lot and a hassle but the cost savings are almost ludicrous, and if you just have two bottles going at the time, it’s an endless and seamless system. If you want to go from soda water to mineral water, this page is amazingly in depth and amazing.

bbum

To add to what Cory said, when I was carbonating water in 2 liter plastic jugs, I found that it was best to carbonate the ice cold water, stick it in the fridge for a while, and then repeat. I typically had 4 or 5 bottles in cycle at any given time.

Yes, “had”. I’ve since moved on to keeping a 5 gallon carboy full of water under pressure in my kegerator. Thus, I have carbonated water on tap all the time.

It is fantastic.

I’ve noted that it takes a good 3 or 4 days @ 30psi before the water has a good bit of fizz. After a week? Serious scrubbing bubble action!!

Cory Line

bbum, that is such a genius idea and I’m kicking myself for not having thought of it. Do you have a “soda fountain” style dispenser on a counter or something or just out of the kegerator?

bbum

I have fittings that allow the corny-keg to be hooked up to the normal beer tap. So, I’ll typically have one keg of home-brew or commercial beer on tap and, seemingly, one tap of fizzy water always on tap.

In fact, the fittings on a corny keg are the exact same fitting as the very popular “Carbonator” top that is used to carbonate your typical 1 or 2 liter plastic bottle. Thus, I can grab the hose off the corny and quickly carbonate a 2 liter bottle of fruit infused water, if desired!

Jin

Just a note on comparative costs, to make explicit the numbers given in the article:
Vintage brand seltzer from Costco costs, last time I checked, something around 45 cents per liter.
For ongoing CO2 costs, as noted in the article, Sodastream (assuming 40 liters per $15 recharge) is 37.5 cents per liter ($15/40L).
For the Purefizz, it depends on what price you can get the chargers at. Prices on Amazon are ~$100 for 300 chargers or $45 for 100 (including shipping charges). If you buy 300 at once, that comes out to 44 cents per liter ($100/300 chargers * 1 charger/.75L), or 60 cents/L if you buy 100 at a time.

So to sum up, if you take 45 cents/L as your baseline, the Sodastream is just marginally cheaper, while the Purefizz costs the same or a third more depending on how many chargers you buy at once. This is not taking into consideration the purchase price of the unit itself, or the cost of lugging hundreds of liters of water home from the store and disposing of their containers.

Paul Esteves

The DIY route is much cheaper. I get 20 oz of co2 filled at a paintball shop for $5.50 (.275 cents per liter), I can get 5 pounds of co2 for $27 (.3375 cents / liter) but that way is really expensive in my area for some reason. I use to pay $17 per 5 lb -> .2125 cents per liter. Either way the DIY route is much cheaper in the long term assuming you don’t have a leak somewhere and waste all the gas.

Munkoli

I would do a little more research into this before you continue using Industrial (not Food/Pharmaceutical) Grade CO2. These paintball canisters are often contaminated with Benzene and other pollutants. This is not what you want in your water, trust me. Is saving a buck worth getting cancer? Benzene causes cancer, just so you know.

Will Johnston

Its totally safe if you use your own kegerator tank rather than swap out used paintball canisters, then its totally safe. This is what the entire home brewing community uses, not to mention the c02 in fizzy drinks at the bar.

Mike Beccaria

There are some alternatives to the sodastream that aren’t quite as complicated as some of the diy options. The FiZ GiZZ product line lets you use co2 bulbs or paintball tanks as well as standard bottles from the grocery store. I bought one a few years ago and now help the owner with his website. Honestly, I think they’re pretty great products. Check them out http://www.sodastreamalternative.com.

sparky086

My Uncle Charlie
recently got an awesome twelve month old Nissan Armada SUV by working off of a
macbook air. next page B­i­g­2­9­.­ℂ­o­m

Evan Mangiamele

Thanks for this article, I received a sodastream as a gift this year but was a little concerned about the size of the unit and the proprietary c02 canisters. I ended up returning it after reading this article, and just got my Purefizz yesterday. Having had both units in my home for a short time, the build quality of the purefizz is so much better, and the water/drinks it makes are fantastic. And I was able to get 100 c02 canisters and the purefizz for less than the sodastream’s price.

Also, FYI amazon doesn’t appear to be selling it anymore, but I had no problems ordering it directly from mastrad.

Majolica

By now, you’ve doubtless encountered the rust. Ours worked well for a “short time” too.

Nice writeup. I made my own and wrote about its pros and cons with the Sodastream on my cocktail blog: http://www.cocktailians.com/2013/07/bubblicious.html I found doing my own setup to work surprisingly well and produce great soda. The colder the water, the fizzier it’ll get (Boyle’s Law) and especially if you purge the air and recarbonate once or twice, it’ll get really fizzy.

And I didn’t take a side, and I don’t know if the situation has changed, but Sodastream was at least at one time facing a boycott for their manufacturing in the West Bank.

Thanks! I wanted a soda maker and then I needed one (for deacidifying paper, for reals, this is what I am learning to do). I didn’t want a soda stream because of the proprietary chargers and I didn’t want to fuss with the DIY. Then you showed up and I bought a pure fizz. Yay!

I have been using a DIY carbonation solution like the one you describe for a few years now. I went to a home-brewing supply store in Culver City CA, and they pretty much put it together for me. The system cost about $200, and refills of CO2 cost about $15! I only refill it every eight months or so. I like SodaStream (and I commend them for employing Palestinians at the highest wages and best working conditions available in that area), and had I waited just a few months to make my system, I would probably have bought one, but they weren’t around much when I did it. I will say the SodaStream is a little easier to use, since I have to shake the bottle for a minute to get the carbonation to be absorbed. But my system is approx 100 times cheaper in the long run.

One real problem – I have a beautiful old syphon, and I wish so much that I could hook it up to the CO2 tank to charge the water instead of using those little canisters. It would be so elegant, and I could SCHPRITZ at the table instead of just pouring the seltzer.

Any good ways of doing that? I think it would involve machining one of the little canisters (emptying it out first) and attaching a CO2 coupling. If anyone could do that for me, I’d pay real money (i.e., low three figures).

Leah

Hi I have a couple of questions. For both the iSi and the Purefizz how frequently do you need to change the CO2 cartridge? for example: will one cartridge work for a couple of liters in a row (say several people are over all drinking seltzer)? Also will you be able to use one cartridge one day and then use it again later in the week/month/etc.? How long will a full bottle stay carbonated/ is there a significant time length difference between these two devices?

Jamie Wiebe

No, you can’t reuse the cartridge; you’ll need a new one for each liter.

We found the Purefizz stayed carbonated for about 8-12 hours (overnight, generally) as long as we kept it in the fridge and tightly sealed. Much less for the iSi, which was inferior for many reasons as stated in the article.

Eva G.

I agree that that the sodastream is no good.

Recently my boyfriend found an old ISI soda siphon (from the 80s) at his grandparents house and we’ve been using it ever since. It works incredibly well. We put water in the siphon and let it cool in the fridge for a while before carbonating it and shaking it like crazy. The soda water pretty much never goes flat. It might lose some of its fizziness but we’ve never really noticed it. I’ve never had any issues with having it spray all over the kitchen – that is, as long as you aim it into your glass. I will say that we mostly use it for making cocktails and don’t drink the water on its own as often.

I wanted to get my own new siphon (since the ISI resides at my bf’s place), so based on your suggestions I got the Mastrad over the ISI. I was excited that you could carbonate any kind of liquid. Although it works well, the water goes flat almost immediately after initially opening it. For my purposes this makes it pretty much useless because I’m not going to drink a liter of soda water within the first day of making it. I feel wasteful throwing out the flat water and having to use another cartridge every time I need soda water.

I’m wondering though if the new ISI would have been a better choice or if their quality has maybe declined over the years. I read some reviews saying that the water starts to go flat after a few days.

Either way I wish your review had an option for people looking for soda water that says fizzy longer as opposed to the fizziest possible water.

Alexander Rajan

It’s been out of stock on both Amazon and Mastrad this week. Amazon currently has 10 available for $99 through a 3rd party vendor. Bummer, I was looking forward to ordering one soon!

joel

this is out stock at both places. any ideas why? new model?

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Hi Joel. These are extremely popular right now, the main company (Mastrad) is on the smaller side & is based out of France IIRC. We’re hoping to see these back in ASAP. Thanks!

embo66

Amazon has them back in stock (as of 4-8-2014). Thanks to this extremely helpful article, I just ordered a Purefizz last night — for $69 under Amazon Prime. Then I paired it with 120 Leland chargers for another $40. With the warmer weather, I’ve noticed my Vintage seltzer intake has sharply increased — now consume 3-4 cans per workday ( and more on the weekends). So i’m hoping the Purefizz will be a more economical option, recycling wise, if in no other way.

Warning about the vagaries of Amazon: Prices often changed daily; what I got for $69 yesterday is now bak up to $80 today. But their stock count increased to 15, so . . .

allie b

I’m not sure Purefizz is the best choice for someone who really likes a lot of seltzer. Often in the evening I feel like filling the Purefizz up a second time, but honestly it is annoying. And with the seltzer chargers by Leland, at least, the thing sprays quite a bit. I’ve used another brand and didn’t have as much problem with spraying, but the water was also not nearly as carbonated. Has anyone else experienced these problems? Maybe this is why this product seems to be off the market.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Can’t comment on the first half of your comment, seems more like a statement of which one you prefer. However, we did touch on this in the guide. Did you try using cold water? –

“Julie Lasky at the New York Times found it didn’t produce enough carbonation, which we disagree with—this could possibly be the result of not using chilled water. As with all carbonation systems, it works best with very cold water. Chef Mary Moran said “The water was incredibly fizzy, delicious tasting and very easy to make” at the Washington Times.”

The main reason this is unavailable is because it’s popularity went through the roof and Mastrad & Amazon are having stock issues. Thanks for the feedback!

Jamie Wiebe

Hi Allie, I’ve only had problems with spraying when I’ve filled the Purefizz up with more water than recommended (using the little white funnel provided). Otherwise, we haven’t heard any other complaints as to that problem. Sorry to hear that!

Corey Selman

My Pop Old Fashioned Soda Shoppe is the lowest cost home soda maker.

bbbbhong

Anyone else have rust-related issues with their PureFizz? My vessel accumulates rust spots every few days.

joel

yes. i’m rather dissapointed and i still have not heard back from customer service. Did you contact them?

bbbbhong

Hi – yes. It took a while, but i finally heard back from CS. They sent me a replacement after they received my original – the replacement also rusted so I requested and received a refund (after returning the replacement soda maker).

I have a feeling the rust is due to the mineral/salt content of the filtered tap water I’ve been using reacting with the metal – I assume that I wouldn’t have this problem if the vessel were glass or plastic.

oh well. good luck with customer support – just be a bit patient as they seem to be wearing a lot of hats at the LA office

joel

Thanks for the info. Did you have to contact them multiple times?

http://mo.rley.co/ morley

For what it’s worth, I’ve had rust issues too and I exclusively use filtered water (ZeroWater-filtered and -tested no less, so there probably isn’t any mineral/salt content to speak of).

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

We started talking to Mastrad about this shortly after you mentioned rust showing up, and they want to replace models for those affected. If you could reach out to me here with your basic info I can forward it along to them and get the ball rolling. Thank you!

My apologies. Apparently it was only pulled for a day, and as soon as it came back, I bought it.

joel

I’ve owned the mastrad purefizz for 6 weeks and use it almost daily for mostly carbonated water. I love it, it’s easy and it works great. Unfortunately, I noticed some rust forming on the bottom of my container. I’ve contacted Mastrad but I’ve yet to hear back. Has anyone else noticed this after extended use?

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Hi Joel. We’ve been in touch with Mastrad regarding this & they are very eager to replace models for our readers that have experienced any rust issues. If you could reach out to me here – I can forward your info along to them and get you a new one. Thanks!

Don

Shoprite .40 cents a liter. Can’t go wrong

Jeff

Hello all, I thought I’d chime in with my personal experience, I bought one for home and after being generally happy with it, bought another for work shortly thereafter. Since then, I’ve developed rust in both bottles, and possibly the cap. Both units also yield a slight metallic taste, possibly due to rust.

In one of my units, the nipple to which the CO2 cartridge is inserted, had clogged, most likely from metal debris from a CO2 cartridge. The other unit takes significant torque to open and close the top cap. My wild guess is about 25-30 foot-lbs of torque. The one with the clogged nozzle took about 10-15 seconds for a CO2 cartridge to discharge and sometimes would blow CO2 out the release valve, thereby not fully carbonating the .7 liters contents of the bottle, but seems to be more or less mitigated since I cleared most of the debris out with the tip of a knife.

I contacted Mastrad customer care and though it took me a few days of roundtrip correspondence, some of it them waiting on me to respond, they gave me a prepaid Fedex Ground slip to send back to their warehouse in Valencia, CA. I shipped both units off to them today. Mastrad seem intent on making things right, but my girlfriend and her parents both have Sodastreams and are happy with them.

The Sodastream itself seems more convenient, though I haven’t done the cost-per-use analysis, if the Sodastream indeed costs more than the Purefizz, the ease of use–less twisting and changing cartridges per liter of enjoyment–seems justified for any marginal increase. Again, I’ll run with the Mastrads after investing in ~120 CO2 cartridges, but considering selling them both after I deplete my supply of CO2 cartridges.

TL/DR kind of wishing I just got a Sodastream.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Try contacting Tim Orfutt at toffutt@mastrad.us – he can help you get a replacement. Also, be sure to clean these thoroughly! Not saying you’re not, but cleaning/drying is KEY!

Ended up purchasing two of the Purefizz units since the wife decided she likes soda water too. Both have rust spots forming and have always held only straight tap water or refrigerator-filtered water. No response from Mastrad to my inquiry over a week ago, which does not bode well. Personally, I cannot recommend them at this point.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

We provided additional info in our update box regarding this. Please contact Tim Orfutt, who is in charge of this, rather than Mastrad’s basic customer service.

But it’s me!

Thanks for the reply and love the site! I sent the emails (another nag email a moment ago) to Tim Orfutt using the email address supplied. Hopefully my second email will get a response.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Would you do me a favor and let me know when you hear back? Thanks!

sj

I really wanted to buy the Purefizz until I read about the rust & metallic taste on here and on Amazon and that the company is not addressing it. I just wanted it for water….but it looks like only using water causes the rust as well. The search continues…sigh.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

If the Purefizz rust findings have turned you off, please see our alternative (and totally capable!) SodaStream. It’s the same price as the Purefizz at the moment!

I’ve looked at the SS product (as well as had a carb. glass of the water at someone’s house) but it’s too big for my limited kitchen counter space in my galley kitchen. I like the idea of smaller CO2 cartridges as well as the smaller stainless container so, anyone who perfects a smaller gadget like this one, I think would sell a ton of them. I’m a fan of San Pellegrino but it’s now almost $2 a bottle where I live so, I’m giving it up and will wait for a smaller product without flaws.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Gotcha. Happy searching! When we refresh this guide next be sure to check back!

sj

Please Tony find a good one! Hubby is threatening to buy SS and seriously, we have nooo counter space. I’m a gourmet cook so I need more room not less and the SS will cramp my style. I’m threatening to just make hot dogs…for him if he brings home the SS. lol Btw….we hate hot dogs. lol Off to buy Whole Foods Italian sparkling water until someone builds a better CO2 water contraption for small kitchens wit less counter/cabinet/draw space.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

While we didn’t like the following as much as the Purefizz or SodaStream, you might find them better suited for you being that counter space is a big concern!

“We tested the BestWhip Soda Plus hoping it would be a suitable replacement for the Purefizz. It’s also made of aluminum and uses the exact same cap and CO2 charge. Unfortunately, it’s also a lot larger—which means the soda isn’t nearly as strong and delicious as the Purefizz, or the Sodastream.”

And the iSi Soda Siphon- “It’s ultimately better suited for bar use. Instead of untwisting the lid to pour out your soda, it uses a nozzle to spray it out—often wildly, all over the kitchen. The soda itself is flat, not fizzy—some reviewers say you can use two chargers to get more carbonation, but that’s more wasteful and requires extra effort that the Sodastream doesn’t.”

That’s about it for this guide. Really a shame about the Mastrad. That thing is incredible – but their customer support regarding the rust issues was sub-par. Lots of people (including a few editors here) said if you clean it and dry it properly, you shouldn’t have any rust so maybe people with rust just weren’t cleaning it properly. Hope this was helpful!!!

sj

Thanks Tony. The Purefizz may not be a high grade of stainless steel. There are 150 grades of SS. That’s one reason why prices vary in SS appliances. Low end=low end Stainless and so on.

That is incredible. I wonder if they maybe started using a different type that caused some rust issues…

sj

It may be too expensive to use 18/10. 18/10 stainless steel contains 18 percent chromium and 10 percent nickel content, and is considered the strongest type of stainless steel and is used primarily for stainless steel cookware. Chromium is a hard metal that helps give stainless steel its hard, sturdy outer shell. Nickel is a silvery metal that helps prevent corrosion and rust.

All-Clad is 18/10 and so is the better cutlery. No one wants their pots and pans to rust or their silverware! Those items are constantly in water. I’ve owned All-Clad for 27 yrs.

My kitchen is all SS even the sink. You can look at all the appliances and see that they’re different grades.

Maybe Mastrad will up-grade to insure it won’t rust but the price will have to reflect that, which present a problem. Any soda maker has to begin to save the customer $$ over buying grocery store water even when paying for CO2 cartridges over the lifetime of using it. IF that doesn’t calculate a substantial savings then some may not be encourages to buy it. That’s the whole selling point.

Anyone buying SS for eating or drinking should know the grade of the item.. Manufactures should be listing the grade. That is more important to the customer than saying it’s ‘stylish.’

You can wrap a thin dish towel around this and dry out your Purefizz. No water, no rust! And I would hand wash only. Such little extra maintenance for such a nice product.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

That’s actually a really good tip!

Majolica

Unfortunately for me, it was the recommendation in Sweethome that made me decide on Purefizz. I was reading reviews of seltzer products wherever I could find them, and the recommendation here is what finalized my decision. And yeah … it rusts, and yeah, the second canister we (finally) received also rusted.

So what good is it if it will “carbonate anything” as this review can’t help continuing to point out?

From now on, I will be keeping in mind that these sorts of product reviews simply don’t – and probably can’t – include how the product holds up. It was a total waste of money, but I’ve learned a lesson about reviews.

We didn’t tested this. Possibly when we refresh. For now we rec the SodaStream, which is on sale today (in white).

Jay Tova

Took a chance on the Mastrad Purefizz and rusted in 1 month. Purchased from Amazon direct but they will only refund back 80% of cost. And that was after negotiating aka arguing with them on the phone for an hour, since they did not want to accept the item at all. So I paid $14 for a month of use plus now I am stuck with $40 worth of CO2 cartridges that I no longer have use for. Should have just listened to Sweethome and gone with the Sodastream.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

We pulled the rec of the Mastrad because of the rusting and their lack of customer support. Sorry that happened, but happy you got something back.

Jacqui Cheng

Hey Jay, this is the craziest thing I’ve read recently. What was Amazon’s reasoning for only refunding you 80% of the cost? (Or not wanting to accept it all?) Most of us on staff have never heard of such a thing so I’m curious to know what the circumstances are so we can investigate it.

PuvMan

It may be worth reaching out to Mastrad if you didn’t originally and explaining your complete experience to them. I just posted about my interaction with them above.

PuvMan

I wanted to update here with my experience. I purchased a PureFizz on May 22nd, 2014 from Amazon. Have been using it for months and have been happy with it. Just this past week I looked inside, and sure enough there were rust spots forming.
On Saturday Feb 14th, 2015 I went to Mastrad’s website and submitted a ticket via their webform. I heard back on Tuesday Feb 17th asking for pictures and my receipt. I sent a picture from inside the bottle, a picture of the bottom showing the code etched (as requested), and attached a PDF version of the receipt from Amazon. Today, Wednesday Feb 18th they responded apologizing for the issue, informing me that the issue has been resolved on the product, and asking for my shipping address.

I am waiting to hear back from them, but I imagine they will be sending me a new piece. I will update when I receive it, and how it holds up.

Thanks again for all you guys do here on the site – it has become my go to place on the web for reviews!

PuvMan

Received the replacement from Mastrad last night – they sent me a full new bottle set, as well as the stand (which I didn’t have before). Nice of them to do so! Will report back how this one holds up.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Still holding up well?

PuvMan

Sadly, no. Just looked in the new bottle and it has rust spots too. Will contact Mastrad again and see what goes down…. will keep you posted.

Sorry for the delay in responding, was out of town for a bit!

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Darn. Well the Sodastream doesn’t suffer from any of these issues. FWIW I think what Mastrad did was cut down on quality stainless steel after they realized they had a hit product on their hands in order to make more money. In doing this they let down many people and it forced us to pull their soda maker as our main pick. We don’t only recommend things for other people to buy – we as staff buy these things too and there were a few of us that were not thrilled with the outcome either. Really sorry this happened man!

Michelle

I have had my isi siphon for over 20 years. You have to use cold water and buy quality cartridges. You need to gently rock it back and forth and let it sit for 3-5 minutes. The good thing is it stays carbonated for several days.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

Glad your iSi is treating you well!

Bob Rooney

bought a glass soda siphon on my last trip to europe. i have no clue what dangerous and toxic materials are used in making the metal ones. been very happy so far and saved money and sweat and tears from no longer lugging cheap store brand dollar 2L seltzer bottles. once in a while i will treat my siphon to some nice spring water, but most of the time i use nice cold filtered water from the tap that goes through my Culligan under-the-sink filtration system.

Andrea Ramirez

There are some pretty helpful videos on youtube that show you how to refill your soda stream CO2 tank with dry ice. Just be sure to watch the videos (like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-a3pISQLQg) that show how to de-gas and how to properly weigh the amount of dry ice you put in so you don’t over pressurize the container.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

That sounds like a lot of trouble to go through in order to refill your SodaStream

Tim English

I notice that the iSi siphon you link to is a 1 liter model, where the Mastrad is 26.4 oz. Almost 30% lower capacity. Is the 1 liter also the iSi model you tested? That could account for the flatter soda if using the same (I assume the common 8g) cartridges. iSi does produce a 26 oz model which might compare better to the Mastrad siphon.

Alicia Korten

I am looking for a stainless steel or glass holder–as we are investing in a soda maker in part to get away from plastic! Given the concerns about rust with the PureFizz, do you have other suggestions for systems that don’t use plastic?

Aife Post

I actually just took my isiWhipper and used CO2 chargers in it with water instead of getting a specialized siphon or machine. Works really well, lots of carbonation, but the only downside is that I keep having to screw the top back on each time so that it keeps the fizz.

aaron grossman

I had been going back on forth on wether or not I wanted to buy a Sodastream. I’ve always loved the idea of being able to make my own seltzer but I was always a bit put off by the plastic design. Sure, they look nice, but there’s always been some concern in the back of my mind that they don’t hold up that well. So, this afternoon, I was in BB&B (picking up a CO2 refill for my boss’ sodastream) and I saw this http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00REP57DO/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687582&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00N3XSCQU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=01P5R5RK10CK2YDP2JZ4 . Had never seen it before, but the combination of it being an all metal design, it uses Sodastream parts, AND was on sale from Amazon’s $250 at the low price of $105 (before my 20% discount), I snatched it up without thinking twice. The weird thing is NOWHERE on the internet is there a review of this thing. Anybody know why? Or even better, do you have one and would you recommend it?

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

No idea but I know we can look into it!

Jason Williams

We bought a sodastream from Amazon for $35 last holiday and the thing’s a disaster.

There’s no way to tell how much you’re carbonating the water.

Pouring in the syrup ALWAYS makes a MONSTER mess.

90% of the syrups they sell taste like absolute garbage.

I’m done with it – my daughter still enjoys it once in a while – for me, it’s way too much hassle, mess and uneven results to enjoy.

http://thewirecutter.com/ tony kaye

I have no personal experience with this machine, but aren’t there measurements to use for certain fizziness? And as much as I hate saying this, there have to be ‘gourmet’ type syrups out there that will work with it since it’s like the GoPro of soda makers. One would think, at least.

After spending more than 120 hours on research and chopping 23 pounds of produce with 22 cutting boards, we found the Prepworks cutting board is the best for most kitchens. The Prepworks doesn’t require any maintenance and resists warping, staining, and strong odors better than other plastic boards we tested. Its textured plastic makes slicing easier, and it has a better juice groove and handle than any other board we tested.

July 30, 2015

* Several readers asked about new LG washers (and dryers) that are similar to our main pick, so we updated our guide with the new info. [Best Washer and Dryer]